IEP
The development of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is a process that depends upon family and staff collaboration. ''The cornerstone of the IDEA is the entitlement of each eligible child with a disability to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet the child’s unique needs and that prepare the child for further education, employment, and independent living. 20 U.S.C. §1400(d)(1)(A).'' ''Under the IDEA, the primary vehicle for providing FAPE is through an appropriately developed IEP that is based on the individual needs of the child.'' ''An IEP must take into account a child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, and the impact of that child’s disability on his or her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.'' ''IEP goals must be aligned with grade-level content standards for all children with disabilities.'' ''The child’s IEP must be developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with the requirements outlined in the IDEA in 34 CFR 300.320 through §300.324.'' https://sites.ed.gov/idea/topic-areas/ '''The 8 Components of an IEP''' This video contains a short review of the different components of the IEP and what each mean. From '''''Strategies for Teaching Learners With Special Needs''''' 11th Edition: Eleventh Edition Edward A. Polloway Rosel H. Schewel Chair of Education, Lynchburg College James R. Patton University of Texas at Austin Loretta Serna University of New Mexico Jenevie W. Bailey-Joseph Lynchburg College in St. Lucia 330 Hudson Street, NY, NY 10013 Individualized education programs are intended to serve as the guiding document for the provision of an appropriate education. Moreover, IEPs function as an integral link between assessment and instruction; thus, the development of the IEP follows from the initial and ongoing collection of assessment data. The IEP also details the least restrictive, most appropriate placement and outlines the instructional program. The IEP must be evaluated and then rewritten annually as long as services are still necessary. IDEA requires that each IEP that is developed contain certain components. These mandated components include the following: * Statement of the child’s present level of academic achievement and functional performance * Statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks, or short-term objectives when applicable * Statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services to be provided to the child * Statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided to the child * Explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with non-disabled children in the regular class * Statement of any individual modifications in the administration of statewide or districtwide assessments of student achievement * Projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications * Anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modifications * Statement of how the child’s progress toward the annual goals will be measured * Statement of how the child’s parents will be regularly informed of their child’s progress toward the annual goals https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134574578/cfi/6/4!/4/2/2/2@0:0 '''Who Should Attend the IEP Meeting?''' * An IEP meeting should be attended by: * Regular Education Teacher * Special Education Teacher * Parents * A Representative of the school system (School Psychologist or Administrator) * Someone who can interpret the results (School Psychologist) * Others with knowledge or special expertise about the child * The student (if appropriate) * https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-team/ '''Types of Assessments & Testing Needed for the IEP''' There are different types of testing & assessments given to establish a student's eligibility for special education. These include: * Universal Screening Assessments - Universal screening is normally the first step, and can help diagnose whether the student is at, or below grade level. * Progress Monitoring - This provides us the ability to compare with norms to discern why the student is below grade level. * Diagnostic Assessments - Standardized and Informal Assessments - Both diagnostic assessments are valid, and using these along with the previous two types provides the best outcome for educators to follow when developing the IEP. http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/definition-type-assessment/ '''Resources & Recommendations for Families''' '''Understanding the IEP Process''' [https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-overview/ The Short and Sweet IEP Overview] [https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iepcontents/ Contents of the IEP] [https://www.parentcenterhub.org/meetings/ When the IEP Team Meets] https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep/ '''Developing Appropriate Goals & Objectives ''' Annual goals should include four major elements. IDEA 1997 lists four characteristics of an annual goal: * It must be measurable. * It must tell what the student can reasonably accomplish in a year. * It must relate to helping the student be successful in the general education curriculum or address other educational needs resulting from the disability. * It must be accompanied by benchmarks or short-term objectives. (Gibb & Dyches, 2014) Betty (in press) recommends the use of the SMART acronym for developing appropriate goals. The key features of a SMART goal include the following: * Specific * Measurable * Attainable * Relevant * Time limited The SMART guidelines highlight the essential elements of appropriate goals and provide a basis for being able to evaluate a student. Statements should use precise behavioral terms that denote action and can therefore be operationally defined (e.g., pronounce, write, or identify motorically) rather than vague, general language that confounds evaluation and observer agreement (e.g., know, understand, improve, or appreciate). For example, “will correctly identify all initial consonant sounds” is more appropriate than the unmeasurable “will improve reading skills.” Goals that are positive provide an appropriate direction for instruction. Avoiding negative goals creates an atmosphere that is helpful in communicating with parents as well as in charting student progress. The goal “will respond verbally to teacher questions” gives the student something to strive for, as opposed to “will learn to keep mouth closed,” which negatively emphasizes something to avoid. Goals should also be oriented to the student. Developing students’ skills is the intent, and the only measure of effectiveness should be what is learned, not what is taught. Thus, “will verbally respond to questions with two-word phrases” is preferable to “will be given oral language readiness materials.” Finally, goals must be relevant to the individual student’s current and future needs across a range of academic, personal/social, and daily living domains. Unfortunately, research indicates that IEPs frequently do not meet this criterion. Additional Reading: http://www.parentcompanion.org/article/iep-annual-goals '''How These Goals & Objectives Influence Curriculum Design''' Curriculum design and implementation must always follow the goals and objectives on the IEP. This means that many things must be taken into consideration, such as: * Learning goals and objectives selected for each student based on assessment results and input from parents and student * Teaching methods and instructional materials selected and/or adapted for each student * Setting(s) where instruction will occur determined relative to opportunities for student to learn and use targeted skills * Sometimes involves unique or adapted teaching procedures seldom used in general education (e.g., constant time delay, token reinforcement, self-monitoring) * Incorporates a variety of instructional materials and support—both natural and contrived—to help student acquire and use targeted learning objectives * Related services (e.g., audiology, physical therapy) provided as needed * Assistive technology (e.g., adapted cup holder, head-operated switch to select communication symbols) provided as needed * Instruction presented with attention to detail, precision, structure, clarity, and repeated practice * “Relentless, urgent” instruction (Zigmond & Baker, 1995) * Efforts made to provide incidental, naturalistic opportunities for student to use targeted knowledge and skills * Purposeful instruction intended to help student achieve the greatest possible personal self-sufficiency and success in present and future environments * Value/goodness of instruction determined by student’s attainment of learning outcomes * Recognition that not all teaching approaches are equally effective * Instructional programs and teaching procedures selected on basis of research support * ystematic, ongoing monitoring of student progress * Results of frequent and direct measures of student learning used to inform modifications in instruction Adapted from Heward, William L., (7th ed.) © 2003, pp. 40–41. Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. '''Pros & Cons of Different Instructional Service Models:''' =